152 TRVPANOSOMIASIB IN THK ANGLO-EOVl'TI AN KfDAN 



My miiiilii'i' uf post-iiiurteiiis in tlu- ciisu of i'xi)i'i'iiiii'iitiil iininiiils now totiils forty-nine, 

 tinil in sixti'L-n of tlu'Sf gastric or inti-stinal uifi-nition or niurki'il conj^fstion was jirust-nt. In 

 one ease (Exp. 8) tluTe was severe ulceration of the c i-iiiiii nwA lower ciiii of the ileum. 



I do not tiiink that this tan bf a mere coincidence. A similar condition was found in 

 the stoiiiarli of a Shiiluk ox infected with 7! nnniiiii, and I am inclinid to think that such 

 lesions will be found to be common in trypanosomiasis. 



As to their significance, one scarcely likes to hazard an opinion, but tlic thungiit that 

 naturally arises is whether tliis condition may not indicate an effort on the part of the 

 parasite to leave its host. Biting Hies are regarded as the usual media by which 

 trypanosonies leave the body of an infected animal, though Kogers* has shown that the 

 ordinary house fly will serve the pur})ose in the case of open wounds, ami fieas ami other 

 blood-sucking insects are said to lie eflFective as agents of transmission. In this connection I 

 may state that I have found trypanosoines in blood expressed from a mite (/>«(•;««;/ j/.'isiw sp. i* 

 jirobably i/iilliii<r) twenty-six hoiirs after it had fed on an infected rat. Many of the parasites 

 were lively, but some were dead. A fine rosette form was also seen. On staining, unchanged 

 parasites were seen together with brokeu-down forms showing only centrosomes, free edges of 

 their undulating membranes and tlagella. Nothing to suggest a developmental stage was 

 seen nor were dividing forms noticed. 



At the same time the life-history of the trypanosoines of mammals is still obscure, and 

 it is only recently that attention has been directed to the mult i{>licat ion of 7'. pantbienae 

 in the stciinuiji of fi. pdljiiili.t.] while it is only since the above was written that Koch's 

 rcmarkalilo observations,! carried out in German East Africa have been made public, which, il 

 confirmed, will mark a great advance in our kiiuwKdgi-.^ Is it not possible, however, tliat if 

 flies are not available, the parasite may escape from the body in some different manner ' 

 If so, may tlie gastric an>l intestinal lesions not lie evidence of such exit ? The condition 

 found in (la(diexial Fever due to the Leishman bodies|| will at once occur to aiiv interesteil 

 in this important subject. At the same time we are immediately met witli the argument 

 that no one has ever found t rypanosomes in the stools of infected animals, nor have such 

 stools been definitily shown to be capable on injection of reproilucing tlir disease; Lingard, 

 it is true, states the contrary, but he is generally regarded to have been mistaken, and 

 JIu.sgrave and Clegg, who pai<l special iitteiition to this point, <leny that the stools can 

 convey infection. Kogers also refutes Linganl's contention. Moreover, ulcerated conditions 

 of the alimentary tracts in the lower animals is, I believe, far frcuii nncoiuuion in hut 

 countries. 



In the face of all the evidence wiiieli has been accumulated, and in the absence of any 



experiments with the stools of inoculated animals, one is not justified in putting forward 



Thcoccurrence .^jj^. ))„.,„.y \\ (),^. sauii' time the occurrence of spirilla in the gastric lesions mav or niav 



of Spirilla • • . " ' 



not be regardeil as a fact worthy of note and there certainly seems to be a general 

 impression that trypanosoines and spirilla will be found to be very closely related, if they 

 are not indeed merely different stages in the life of one parasite. This was first suggested 



• Hrit 'S\e>\. .luurn , London, Nov. 26th, l'J04, )i. 1,-1.')4. 



t KeporU of the Sleeping Sickne*. C'ommi&sion of the Iloyal Society, No. VI., juirt H. 

 ; DeutM'h. Med. Wochcnschriff, Leipzig, Nov. 23r(l. lOo.i. 



!S Sef however the recent paper liy Novy (.loiir. Inf. Diseases. 18th May, 1906\ which diiicrcditt> this work as 

 do the results obtained liy Miiiihin. 



II Christopheni' S<'ientilic Memoirs. Med. and Saiiit. Pepnrt., ludui, Nos. 8 and 11. 



